The Second You Sleep
by xTroublesomePersonx
Summary: AU. Sakura Haruno, the friendless, lonesome loser in her class at Konoha High, is more than a little frustrated when her class enters an exchange student program, and she is forced to host the mysterious Gaara from Suna High. Sakura/Gaara.
1. Letter

**1. Letter**

Sakura Haruno stared at the blank screen with empty eyes, empty brain. She had absolutely no idea of what to write. How could it be that hard? It was just a letter, for Christ's sake!

_A letter to someone I have never met before._

She sighed heavily and rested her chin on the palm of her right hand, still staring at the bright white color on the screen of her computer; the empty sheet of paper; the emptiness in her brain.

_They can't be serious. How the hell am I going to write a letter to someone I don't even know? This assignment is even more ridiculous than our usual assignments!_

The school board had recently decided along with the school board in Suna City that they would offer an exchange student program to two junior classes to improve the collaboration between the two cities. And, of course, they just had to pick Sakura's English class to represent Konoha. Sakura was not happy about it.

Apparently, her teachers did not share her skeptics, as they had told the students about the idea with so much enthusiasm that you would think they had found a cure for cancer.

Of course, a few students had been excited, too. Lee, of course; he just couldn't sit still and be quiet for more than five seconds, so how could you expect him to not give away emotional speeches at a time like that? Naruto, the blonde class clown, had also radiated excitement – perhaps he was hoping for somebody so tolerant and stupid and with their head up their ass that he could turn him or her into his own little trouble mascot; not very likely to happen. Nobody in the world would match Naruto, it was simply impossible. He was one of a kind.

Sakura sighed heavily once more, still as blank as ever. She herself had not really paid attention to the whole thing, being more interested in the conversation between Neji, Sasuke, and Kiba that went on in front of her.

Neji had complained loudly about the assignment and the teacher and the school and the world in general, and Kiba had grinned in a disgusting way and loudly noted the opportunity to score a hot girl that this assignment just might be. Sasuke had not really said much, just rolled his eyes at both of the guys and looked thoughtfully into thin air again. Every time Sakura thought about those dreamy eyes, she just melted on the inside.

OK. Focus. Concentration. She had to finish this letter for tomorrow. Otherwise, she would be in great trouble.

She took a deep breath and quickly typed the few sentences she could think of that did not sound too stupid:

"_Hello!_

_My name is Sakura Haruno, and I will be your host for the three months you will be spending here in Konoha. I just know that it will be a lot of fun!_

_I live with my parents in a small house just outside of Konoha City. I also have a dog named Mindy._

_For my spare time I like reading, drawing, and practicing sports. I do dancing and a little boxing – and I'm a member of Konoha Public High School's Track Team. I also like spending time with my friends."_

She paused and looked at the last sentence for a minute. She didn't know exactly why she wrote it. She did not have any friends. But, as she figured, she would probably have enjoyed spending time with them, if she _did_ in fact have some friends.

"_My favorite school subjects are Art, PE, and Biology. I want to become a doctor in the future._

_I'm hopelessly in love with a guy named Sasuke Uchiha, who barely knows my name."_

Sakura chuckled under her breath. She definitely was not going to write _that_ – she would have to delete that sentence. Her exchange student should not have a chance to think of her as an idiot before he or she arrived – there would be plenty of options for that later.

She wondered what kind of person they would send to live with her. The teachers knew that she was hopeless – in social situations, anyway. She was the girl who was always alone. It would be really awkward if her exchange student turned out to be the most popular student in Suna High School.

But they most likely wouldn't do that. She would probably end up with a total loser – then Konoha High would have a matching set.

Sakura sighed and continued the letter.

"_I have lived in Konoha all my life, so I can show you all the good places when you get here. I'm really looking forward to meeting you!_

_Greetings,_

_Sakura Haruno."_

Finally. It was done. End of homework. And time for bed.

Sakura pressed _PRINT_ without even reading it, folded the printed sheet and put it in her English book. The students from Suna had already wrote letters, so the teachers in both cities would read them all during the next week and by comparison and in unison decide who to pair up. The Suna students were to arrive in a month.

_What a blast._

Sakura let out another frustrated sigh and went to bed.

* * *

**So, first chapter…**

**I hope you liked it! (:**


	2. Stupid

**2. Stupid**

English was first period on Tuesdays, and as Sakura always arrived just half a minute too late to be sure to get the last, lonely seat in the back without having everybody's eyes on her, the teacher had already begun collecting the letters, when she got there.

"Ah, Sakura!" Iruka smiled at her. "I'm glad you're here. Please hand in your letter now."

Sakura nodded and took the folded piece of paper from her English book. She realized that she had not had a chance to check for any spelling or typing mistakes yet, but she could always check it when she got home. She walked to the front of the class and handed Iruka the letter, trying to ignore the annoying sound of one of Naruto's usual excuses.

"Seriously, it was _so_ weird! My computer screen went _all_ black! Just like that!"

Naruto waved his arms all around to indicate just how weird it had been. Iruka's expression was pretty skeptic.

Sakura sat down in her favorite seat, the lone chair in the back of the room, the one just behind a certain Sasuke Uchiha. He always sat in the back, near the wall, his table always crowded by stuck-up friends or hopeful fan girls. He never said or did much. If it hadn't been for his dreamy looks or the fact that he excelled at everything he did, he would have been just as anonymous at this school as Sakura.

But Sasuke was handsome and talented and perfect in every way possible, and thus, Sakura had to admire him from afar. But sitting behind him, she could almost make herself believe that she was getting closer.

* * *

The school day ended painlessly, and Sakura went home. The Track Team only had practice on Mondays and Thursdays, and as that was her only club activity, she usually got home a lot earlier than most people. Also, she always rode her bike to school, which actually was a lot quicker than taking the old, slow school bus.

There was nobody home this early, except for Mindy, who ran to Sakura the second she walked in the door, begging to be taken out for a walk. Since no one else was home to do so, Sakura had to. Not that she minded spending time with the family dog, but Mindy was a true trouble maker. She always just dragged Sakura along, excitedly looking for cats and squirrels to chase. It was so embarrassing to be seen dragged along by a big, furry dog, all tangled in to the leash, with red cheeks and messy hair trying to save a poor squirrel from being chewed to death.

But Sakura had to do it no matter the awkwardness, and so she reluctantly put on the leash and went out with the excited dog, only to return an hour later with an urge to kill that same dog. Mindy caused way too much unwanted attention. Stupid animal.

In a brief moment of genius, she thought of asking Iruka to send her a student who loved dogs – three months of not having to walk Mindy. It would be great.

But the many ideas of a dog loving exchange student all vanished as checking the letter later that night – and her newfound stage of genius immediately went from plus ten to zero.

Sakura had just sat down in front of her laptop, hoping for another boring night, when her own stupidity hit her like a hand grenade.

The letter popped up on the screen, and reading it, Sakura immediately had a feeling of suspicion that something was up, but it wasn't until she had read the whole letter that she realized the mistake.

"_Hello!_

_My name is Sakura Haruno, and I will be your host for the three months you will be spending here in Konoha. I just know that it will be a lot of fun!_

_I live with my parents in a small house just outside of Konoha City. I also have a dog named Mindy._

_For my spare time I like reading, drawing, and practicing sports. I do dancing and a little boxing – and I'm a member of Konoha Public High School's Track Team. I also like spending time with my friends._

_My favorite school subjects are Art, PE, and Maths. I want to be a doctor in the future._

_I'm hopelessly in love with a guy named Sasuke Uchiha, who barely knows my name._

_I have lived in Konoha all my life, so I can show you all the good places when you get here. I'm really looking forward to meeting you!_

_Greetings,_

_Sakura Haruno."_

Sakura stared at the letter for a moment. Her suspicion immediately turned to horror as her eyes zoomed in on the one, fatal sentence:

"_I'm hopelessly in love with a guy named Sasuke Uchiha, who barely knows my name."_

A faint scream escaped from her throat. How could she not have deleted that? How could she even have written it to begin with?

She felt the cold sweat running down her back as she realized that not only would this strange foreigner read about her feelings for the coolest guy at the school and laugh at her for three months – her own teachers and the foreign teachers were going to read about it, too.

_This is the biggest mistake I have made in my entire life!_

Her heartbeat accelerated in line with the feeling that repeatedly pumped through her veins.

Panic. Panic. Panic.

* * *

**So, here is the second chapter! I hope you liked it! (:**

**Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! You guys are the best. (:**


	3. Big Mistake

**3. Big Mistake**

The students in Iruka's early English class were greeted by an unusual sight as they walked in to the classroom the following morning. They all shared the same facial expression of surprise and wonder when realizing that the always late, dorky Sakura Haruno for once had arrived early. She was sitting in her usual seat in the back of the class, nervously fiddling with a nicely folded piece of paper, her features tightened in frustrated concentration.

Sakura had brought an edited, Sasuke-free version of her letter to school today, hoping to convince Iruka to switch them. Hopefully, he hadn't read it yet – that would simply be too embarrassing.

Sakura jumped nearly unnoticeably, as Sasuke walked in to the room with his book bag carelessly tossed over one shoulder and a serious expression on his face. He went to sit down in his usual seat in front of her, and she blushed as their eyes met for a brief second. He, too, had apparently noticed her atypical presence. In a strange way, that made her happy. At least he noticed her, then.

Sasuke was quickly followed by his stupid friends and a group of giggling girls. Everybody sat down, and the classroom was soon buzzing with conversations. But finally, the bell rang, and Iruka walked in the door. Sakura nearly jumped from her seat and ran up to his desk. Her classmates stared at her, but she tried to ignore them.

"Iruka-sensei," she said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, but there has been a mistake. I accidentally gave you the wrong version of my letter yesterday. But I brought the right one today. So, if you could please switch the two…"

She handed him the printed paper, sending him a hopeful look.

Iruka smiled friendlily.

"Well, well, look at that. Who knew that you could speak, Sakura."

Sakura blushed and her gaze drifted to the floor. Alright, so she was a little quiet sometimes – but of course she _spoke!_ His comment wasn't fair.

"And I'm sorry, too, Sakura," Iruka continued. "But the due date was final. We have collected all the letters now, and we will not be making any changes." He cocked his head to one side, still smiling, yet a little more serious now. "Nobody else got a second chance. Neither will you."

"But…" Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression.

"I'm sorry," Iruka told her again, brusquely. "There's nothing I can do. Now, go sit down, so I can begin class."

Sakura pondered for a moment if she should keep trying, but she quickly came to the conclusion that she wouldn't get anywhere trying to argue. So she walked back to her seat with her head bowed and her gaze on the floor trying to block out people's stares.

She slumped down in her chair, placed her arms on the desk and buried her face in them. This was a _disaster_. All she could do was hope that the letter would get lost in the mail – or that she would die suddenly and painlessly before the arrival of her exchange student.

She just knew that she could not face anyone who knew about her secret, stupid and embarrassing crush.

* * *

**Here is the third chapter! I hope you liked it. Sorry, if it's a little boring… I promise that the next one will be more exiting! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! ilu gaiz. 3**


	4. Surprising Words

**4. Surprising Words**

The rest of the week and the weekend went by in a daze. Sakura tried to focus on other things, but all she could think of was how far her letter had come. She was going to get her exchange student's letter on Monday. And her student would get her letter then, too. And there was no way she could prevent it from happening.

* * *

It was with great stomachaches that Sakura dragged herself to school Monday morning. She arrived five minutes before the bell rung, instead of the usual thirty seconds after, having miscalculated her pace because of her distracting worries. But no one seemed to care or even notice. They were all too excited about what kind of person they had been chosen to host. The noise was even louder than usual.

_I will not survive this,_ Sakura decided as sitting down. _I'm literally going to die. IRUKA-SENSEI knows about my feelings for Sasuke. How could it get any more embarrassing?_

It took only a few minutes for the bell to ring and the teacher to enter. He was carrying a stack of white envelopes that immediately silenced the class. Everybody looked excitedly at him. This was it!

Iruka just looked at them, smiling calmly.

"You're very quiet today," he stated as going through the list to check if everyone was present. But he had not needed to – this was the one day that no one would miss for their lives.

"Alright." Iruka grabbed the stack of envelopes. "I know you're all dying to see these, so let's get it over with, shall we?"

There was a quiet, excited buzzing as he went through the rows, handing out the letters.

"Lee… Naruto… Hinata… Ino… Shikamaru… Choji…" Everybody nearly ripped the envelopes from his hands and almost tore it open to read about 'their student'. Sakura just waited in fear, watching the stack of envelopes in his hands decreasing for every desk, he went by.

"Kiba… Sasuke… Neji…"

Now there was only one left. This was the one. Iruka carefully put it on Sakura's desk, and she anxiously looked up at him. His face was more serious than she had ever seen it before. It was kind of frightening.

"Sakura," he said. She nodded and took the letter with shaky hands. But Iruka placed a hand gently on top of hers, holding her back for a moment. She froze.

_Oh, no. _She gulped. _He's going to say something about Sasuke! What do I do? What do I do?_

"Sakura," he said in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible. "You were specifically difficult to find a match for. Don't ridicule this choice, before having given it a chance."

And with those words he went back to sit at his desk and observe the class.

Sakura was rather weirded out by Iruka's words. She gave the letter a suspicious look. But encouraged by what Iruka had just said (and the fact that he had not said anything about Sasuke) gave her the strength she needed to open the envelope.

It turned out to contain a folded, printed piece of paper with only a few words:

"_My name is Gaara. I'm 16 years old. I live in Suna. And I'm allergic to tomatoes."_

Sakura stared at the paper for a moment.

_Are they kidding me? What kind of letter is this?_

All around her people were telling each other about their letters. Most people seemed excited.

"_Woo-hoo!_ I got a girl!" Kiba yelled with a dirty grin. "And she sounds like she's really great!"

"I can't believe I got paired up with a girl," Shikamaru complained. "They're so troublesome…"

"My girl likes shopping!" Ino shrieked. "I like shopping! This is going to be fun!"

Everybody was talking loudly about their students and showing each other the long, detailed letters they had been given. And all the while, Sakura could just sit and stare at hers and wonder if it was some kind of joke. Her letter wasn't even a letter. It was just words. And it was not good enough, considering how much she had given away in her letter.

But as she looked up from the paper, she met Iruka's serious eyes. And she knew that he was counting on her with this. She had to make this work. There was no Plan B.

So all she could do was grit her teeth and hope for the best.

_Maybe a rewind button?_

* * *

**Here is the fourth chapter! I hope you liked it! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! I love all kinds of feedback, both positive and otherwise. So keep it coming! ^^**

**Love to you!**


	5. Strange and Unprepared

**5. Strange and Unprepared**

With only three weeks left before the arrival of the exchange students, everyone in Sakura's class was about to burst from excitement. All they could talk about was how great it would be when the students from Suna arrived.

And it did not get better as the days passed by. Sakura sometimes wondered if some of her classmates would die from hyperventilating about the exchange program. Most of the others had been writing e-mails and such to their students, and they just "couldn't wait to meet them in person".

Sakura, of course, had not been writing to her student. Iruka had given her an e-mail address, but after sitting in front of her computer for an hour without having accomplished writing even one word, she just gave up. If he was interested in getting to know her before arriving, he could write to her. Of course, he hadn't done so. And thus, Sakura was still as clueless about the guy as ever.

* * *

They were supposed to pick up the foreigners at the airport on October 5th. Sakura had convinced her dad to drive, as her mum had been just a little too excited about their new house guest, and Sakura did not want to embarrass herself more than she already had.

So, the 5th of October, 8 pM exactly, Sakura and her dad quickly made their way to the airport gate where the exchange students should be arriving.

_Correction – have arrived!_

Apparently, the Suna students had been quick collecting their luggage and getting through all the systems, because they were already there, mingling with the Konoha students. Sakura mentally slapped her forehead; being late on the very first occasion was not a very good impression to make.

"Ah, there you are, Sakura!" Iruka waved and gave her a friendly smile. "As you can see, the Suna students are a little early – but no worries, they just came in 5 minutes ago, so it's alright."

Sakura nodded and sighed in relief. Some of the newcomers looked interestedly in her direction, but she tried to ignore them.

"Your student, Gaara, is right over there." Iruka pointed to a slim figure standing a little outside of the group. "Go say hello. I'll fill your father in about the restrictions and such in the meantime."

Sakura hesitantly made her way over to the foreigner. He was standing by the wall, keeping his distance from the loud group, with his hands in his pockets, and his face turned down and away. He had short, tousled red hair, and pale, smooth skin. He was wearing sneakers, faded blue jeans and a plain shirt. His luggage was surprisingly small for a three months stay, but other than that, he looked pretty normal.

Sakura took a deep breath and took the last few steps to him.

"Hello," she said hesitantly, "I'm Sakura Haruno. You must be Gaara…"

He slowly tilted and lifted his head so that he could look directly at her. His eyes were pale turquoise and hard. His jaw looked tightened. But his lips were relaxed when he answered:

"… Yes." His voice had a very hoarse, raw sound to it, that Sakura liked right off the bat.

"Pleased to meet you," she said and reached out her hand. Gaara looked at it for a moment, and then hesitantly took it as if confused.

"… Yes. You, too."

Sakura shook his hand, which seemed like a dead fish in hers. But his skin was nice; dry, but smooth.

"Did you have a pleasant trip?" she asked half-heartedly. Gaara shrugged.

"… Yes. I guess so."

_Not the big talker…_

"It must have been a long plane ride," Sakura continued unenthusiastically. "Are you tired?"

"… No."

"I hope you have been looking forward to seeing Konoha," she tried apathetically. "Your letter didn't say much about your expectations…"

Gaara just shrugged. Sakura sighed heavily on the inside.

_These are going to be some long, three months…_

* * *

**Here is the fifth chapter! I hope you liked it! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! Your support means a lot to me. Thank you! Ilu all. ^^**

**NOTE: I wanted to comment on the reviews concerning the chapter length. Originally, this was supposed to be a drabble fic, but then it somehow became more like a regular story, and finally, it ended up as this sort of random, regular, drabble-ish story. ^^ And that's the reason why the chapters are so short. (:**


	6. This Is Home

**6. This Is Home**

"So, here we are."

Sakura opened the front door that lead into the Haruno estate. Gaara slowly followed her in, his face blank and unreadable. He hadn't said much on the ride home, if really anything at all. Sakura highly doubted that his silence had to do with shyness, though; it seemed more like a lack of interest.

"Hello." Sakura's mum said and rose from her chair in the living room, as Sakura lead her new house guest through the house. "I'm Sakura's mum. You must be Gaara."

She shook hands with the uninterested, yet polite Gaara.

"… Hello," he answered in a flat voice. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you." Mrs. Haruno flashed a smile. "Did you have a pleasant flight?"

"… Yes. Thank you."

After the two of them had exchanged courtesies, Sakura took Gaara to the guest room. It was a fairly nice room with a comfy bed, a big closet, and lots of drawers. Although, it didn't seem like he would need the extra space with his tiny suitcase.

_Oh, well. Less is more, as they say._

"Here's your room," Sakura told him. Gaara looked at it with the same facial expression of a total lack of interest as Sakura had seen on his face ever since she picked him up at the airport.

"My room is just next door," Sakura explained and pointed at the door into her room, "so if there's anything, you can just knock."

"… Yes. Thank you."

Gaara walked in and placed his suitcase on the bed. He looked around in the room, but didn't seem to have any complaints.

"Alright," Sakura said with a small frown. "I guess I'll be going then."

"… Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gaara."

She silently closed the door and went into her room to go to sleep. Her parents were watching TV in the living room, but she didn't feel like joining them. They would certainly give her a full evaluation of Gaara, and she didn't want to hear it.

_I know he's a little odd – but I didn't pick him, _was all that she would be able to tell them.

She hadn't met any of the other Suna students, though, so she couldn't tell if they were as odd as this one. She wondered if she in fact _would_ have picked Gaara for herself, if she knew what the others were like.

_You'll never know…_

* * *

**Here is the sixth chapter! I hope you liked it! (:**

**I'm sorry, this chapter is so short… I promise that the next one will be longer!**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! ilu! ^^**


	7. Problem

**7. Problem**

Sakura looked at Gaara over the edge of her teacup.

It was Gaara's first morning in her house, and so far, there had been no problems. Sakura had knocked on his door earlier to wake him up, and he had instantly opened it, fully dressed, and ready to go. She had been kind of surprised, though, having thought that with the plane ride, the jetlag, and the stress of meeting new people, he would have been out cold for at least ten hours.

Sakura studied the pale face in front of her. _Maybe, he's a morning person. _Gaara had somehow managed to finish up in the bathroom, pack his bag, and make breakfast, before she had even come into the kitchen. Now, he was sitting in front of her, silently eating his cereal and sipping his tea.

Sakura thought back to the letter she had written to him. She was surprised, but relieved that he hadn't mentioned it so far. Still, the words she had scribbled to him were burnt into her memory by the flames of shame. _"I'm hopelessly in love with a guy named Sasuke Uchiha, who barely knows my name."_ She blushed, even thinking of it. She hoped that she would never have to explain or elaborate on that part of her letter.

* * *

Sakura preferred to ride her bike to school, but since she had to take Gaara, she thought it would be best to walk. She had considered taking the school bus, but since it wasn't much faster than walking, plus filled with a lot of people she wanted to avoid, she had stuck with walking.

Sakura couldn't help glancing over at Gaara now and then, walking beside him in total silence. She wasn't sure if she should start a conversation. On the one hand, she wanted to talk to him, since the overpowering silence made her feel rather uncomfortable, but on the other hand, she knew it was wasted effort. Gaara didn't seem to be interested in talking to her… or even talking, period. Sakura sighed heavily. _Oh well… When he isn't talking, he can't talk about the letter, _she thought tiredly.

Finally, after a long and silent walk, the school buildings came into view. Sakura sighed in relief. She wasn't sure she could take much more of Gaara's crushing silence.

"Welcome to Konoha Public High School," she told him, leading him into the main building.

"… Thank you," he said flatly, without even bothering to look interested. Sakura sighed heavily on the inside.

The first class this morning was English. Iruka had made of sure of that. Then the Konoha students and the Suna students had the chance to officially meet. So far, most of the students had only talked to the person they were hosting, but today, everybody should be properly introduced to each other.

"Gaara!"

Sakura looked up in surprise. Standing outside the classroom was Shikamaru Nara with a tall, blonde girl in a white dress.

"Hey, Gaara!" the girl called, smiling widely, as Sakura and Gaara approached them. "There you are!"

"… Yes," Gaara said tiredly. Shikamaru looked up at Sakura and Gaara, greeting them with a polite nod. Sakura nodded in return. Gaara ignored him, tilting his head towards Sakura. "… This is Sakura Haruno," he told the blonde. "She's my host."

"Oh!" the tall blonde exclaimed. "You're Sakura Haruno!" Sakura blushed bright pink, realizing that Gaara must have told this girl about her. _Oh no, _she realized in fear. _She probably knows about the letter! _She thought back to the forbidden words in it, blushing even redder. _This is bad._

But the tall blonde just held out her hand. "I'm Temari," she said. Sakura hesitantly shook hands with her. "I'm Gaara's sister."

Sakura stared at her in surprise. "Gaara's sister?" she asked. She hadn't even known that Gaara had a sister. And she would have never expected it to be someone like Temari.

"Yep," Temari said, smiling. She put an arm around Gaara's shoulder. "Surprising, but true." And surprising it was. Sakura looked from one sibling to the other, her forehead creasing into a frown. Gaara was short with tousled, red hair, turquoise eyes, and pale skin; he was silent, reserved, polite, and indifferent. Temari was tall, and she had blonde, curly hair, striking blue eyes, and light, sunkissed skin; she seemed outgoing, friendly, and funny. Sakura had a hard time believing that such contrasting people could be so closely related to each other.

"We two are each other's opposites," Temari said with a smile, seeing Sakura's confused expression. "But just wait until you meet our brother." She let go of Gaara and went to stand next to Shikamaru again. "Kankarou is like a mix of the two of us, so with him here, it'll make a lot more sense." She winked at Sakura.

Then she suddenly looked up. "Oh!" she exclaimed, lighting up. "And here he comes." She eyed the pinkette in front of her, smirking. "With his host." Sakura, Shikamaru and Gaara all looked up to see who Temari was looking at. Sakura's eyes widened at the sight.

Sasuke was walking down the hallway, his hands in his pockets. Next to him walked a tall guy with tousled, brown hair and light, sunkissed skin.

"Kankarou!" Temari called. The tall stranger smiled and waved at her.

Sakura paled. _The tall stranger is Gaara's and Temari's brother! _she realized. _AND he's Sasuke's guest!_ Sakura's thoughts went back to the letter she had written to Gaara. She knew that Gaara had read it. She could tell that Temari knew about it. And if Temari knew, then Kankarou probably knew, too. And if that was the case… maybe Sasuke knew, too!

_This is bad! _Sakura gulped. _Somebody, just kill me! _she pleaded in her mind, staring at the scene in shock, cold sweat running down her back. _Please just kill me now!_

* * *

**So, the seventh chapter… I hope you like it! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! You guys make my day! Ilu all. ^^**

**NOTE: I'll be going on vacation tomorrow, so I won't be able to update for a few weeks. ): But to make up for it, I'm uploading two chapters today! I hope you guys enjoy! See you soon! ^^**


	8. In These Situations

**8. In These Situations**

Sakura stared at the scene in front of her in fear.

She was standing with Gaara, Shikamaru, and Temari outside the classroom, watching Sasuke and Kankarou walk towards them. But to her, it felt she was standing on top of a hill, watching two trains coming towards each other at lightning speed, and not having the power to stop them from colliding.

"Temari!" Kankarou called, smiling happily. "Gaara!" Kankarou's pace picked up. Sasuke followed suit, looking out from under his spiky, black hair at the group in front of him with an interested expression.

Sakura gulped, thinking of the stupid sentence she had written in her letter. _"I'm hopelessly in love with a guy named Sasuke Uchiha, who barely knows my name." _She had thought that she had reached the bottom, having her own teachers, the foreign teachers, _and_ Gaara read her letter, but somehow, things kept getting worse.

"Kankarou!" Temari smiled, too. Gaara looked at his brother, his expression bored.

"Good morning," Kankarou said, stopping in front of them. Sasuke skidded to a stop beside him, studying the contrasting people in front of him in curiosity. Sakura felt her cheeks turn red, feeling alternately hot and cold. She couldn't think of even one way that this situation could turn out well.

"Good morning," Temari replied. She grinned, elbowing Shikamaru in the ribs. "This is my host, Shikamaru Nara," she said.

"Hey!" Shikamaru said, wincing. "That hurts." He sent the tall blonde a scornful look. "Troublesome woman."

Temari ignored him. She patted Sakura on the back. "And this is Gaara's host," she said, "Sakura Haruno."

Sakura blushed even redder and looked to the floor.

"Hello, Sakura, Shikamaru," Kankarou said pleasantly. "I'm Kankarou, Temari's and Gaara's brother." He offered a friendly smile, to which Shikamaru replied with a nod, and Sakura with a feeble smile. The tall brunette turned to his siblings. "This is my host," he said, looking at Sasuke. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Temari smirked at Sakura. Gaara looked up at Sasuke, suddenly interested. "… Sasuke Uchiha?" he asked.

Sasuke looked at Gaara in surprise. Sakura paled, her red cheeks turning white. _NO, NO, NO! _she pleaded in her mind. She stared right at Gaara with wide, fearful eyes, trying her best to communicate her message to him. _STOP!_

But it was a plea on deaf ears. Gaara studied Sasuke through watchful eyes, and then turned to Sakura. "… Sasuke Uchiha." he said, as if pondering it. "… You wrote about him in your letter."

Sasuke looked even more surprised at this statement. Sakura's mouth fell open. _GAARA! STOP! _she screamed on the inside. _STOP IT! NOW!_

But Gaara didn't listen. "… You… love him… Right?"

Sakura gaped at the redhead in front of her. _NO! _Gaara just looked back at her in a calm manner, seemingly unaware of the social incorrectness of his behavior. Sakura's cheeks went from white to crimson when she realized that the tall siblings were snickering in amusement, and Sasuke and Shikamaru were staring at them in extreme confusion and total shock.

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!_

She knew that she had to do something. She couldn't let this idiotic redhead out her like this. This situation called for immediate damage control.

Mustering up all her self-control, Sakura forced herself to laugh.

"Oh, Gaara!" she said, laughing hysterically and hitting him on the shoulder. The others just kept staring, as amused and confused as ever. "You… You're too funny!" Sakura continued. "You just crack me up!"

She grabbed the redhead and started pushing him into the classroom. "Now, come on! Class is starting soon! Better be there in time!" Even her voice came out hysterical. "First day and everything!"

Sakura pushed Gaara into the crowded room and steered him towards her seat without looking back. Her cheeks burned.

_Oh, my God! _she thought, falling into her chair. _Why, oh why do I put myself in these situations?_

Gaara just looked at her in puzzlement.

* * *

**The eighth chapter. I hope you liked it! (:**

**As always, thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! ilu. ^^**

**Oh, and the obvious song reference here is, "Oh Whoa! (Me vs. Everyone)", by Forever the Sickest Kids. (:**

**NOTE: I'll be going on vacation tomorrow, so I won't be able to update for a few weeks. ): But to make up for it, I'm uploading two chapters today! I hope you guys enjoy! See you soon! ^^**


	9. Say No More

**9. Say No More**

Sakura stared at the blackboard in front of her with empty eyes.

Although, the bell hadn't even rung yet, this school day had already turned into a disaster. Sakura's attempt to brush Gaara's revelation of her crush on Sasuke off as a joke hadn't fooled the others for even a second. Sitting in the back of the class, she could easily observe the conversations going on between Shikamaru and Temari, and between Sasuke, Kankarou, and a bunch of other students.

Sakura looked to the middle right of the classroom, where Shikamaru and Temari were sitting. Temari was talking passionately, seemingly trying to convince her host of something. Shikamaru shook his head, waving her off with a small movement of his hand, probably trying to tell her that he wasn't swayed.

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up, watching their conversation. She couldn't hear them from the back of the room, but she could tell that their conversation had to do with her letter. _Temari have read it, then, _she thought, her heart sinking in her chest. _That makes her the fourth person to read what should've never been read – or even written._

Sighing, she turned to the people sitting in front of her. Sasuke, Kiba, and Neji, along with Kankarou and a pretty brunette had crowded the small table in front of her, their voices weaving in and out each other. While Sakura watched, the brunette excused herself and went to talk to a tall, beautiful girl with straight, black hair and big, dark eyes in the other end of the room.

"I'm loving this exchange student program," Kiba said, looking at the two girls, and smirking in a grim manner. "All these hot girls from Suna…"

"There are hot girls here in Konoha, too," Kankarou chimed in. "Sakura Haruno is crazy beautiful, for example." Sakura blushed, hearing those words. Kankarou elbowed his black-haired host, winking. "It's too bad she's completely head over heels for Sasuke here…" Sasuke's cheeks tinged pink. Kiba and Neji stared at Kankarou for a moment, and then turned around to stare at Sakura.

Sakura's cheeks went from pink to red to crimson. _Kankarou, too, _she thought sadly, her heart plummeting to her stomach. _Then he's the fifth person to have read that stupid letter. _She felt her eyes starting to burn, tears welling up in them. _And all because of that redheaded freak…_

She turned to Gaara, who was sitting beside her, as silent as ever. Looking at his red hair, turquoise eyes, and pale, expressionless face, she felt her temper starting to flare up. _That Gaara, _she thought, clenching her teeth together. _What the hell is wrong is with him? _Gaara hadn't said more than five words since she met him, but for some reason he had still chosen to start talking at the most inconvenient time of all.

Anger started to boil in her blood. Gaara had received her letter, read it, and then shown it to his siblings. When he arrived, he hadn't mentioned it to her, but instead told everybody else. _What did I ever do to him? _Sakura ranted in her mind. _That asshole!_

Sakura looked at the clock over the blackboard. The bell wasn't going to ring for five minutes. That was enough time to deal with this.

"Gaara," she said in a cold voice, standing up. "Can I talk to you? _In private?_"

Gaara looked up at her, blinking in surprise. "… Okay." Nodding, he stood up and followed her out of the classroom.

Sakura took him to a private spot around the corner from the classroom. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms, and sent him a death glare.

"Let's get this over with," she said through gritted teeth. "You read the letter, showed it to Temari and Kankarou, and then outed me in front of Shikamaru and Sasuke." She felt her cheeks starting to burn, embarrassment, humiliation, and anger scorching in her system. "You probably think that I'm some kind of weak fool, who won't stand up for herself, but I'm here to tell you that you're _wrong_."

Gaara looked at her, his expression a mix of puzzlement and boredom.

"Why did you do those things?" Sakura asked him, clenching her teeth together so hard that she thought they might shatter. _"Why did you tell everyone?"_ she shouted, when he kept standing there, staring at her in silence.

Gaara shrugged. "… Your letter was... confusing," he said.

Sakura stared at him, hoping that looks in fact _could_ kill. "My letter was _confusing?_" she shouted. "And that's reason enough to ruin my _life?_"

Gaara blinked in surprise. "… Yes…" he said hesitantly. "… Your letter was confusing." He paused. "… But I had no intention of ruining…"

"I don't care what your intentions were!" Sakura said, interrupting his slow speech. "The fact is that you did it!"

Gaara sighed. "… Okay," he muttered.

"_No!_" Sakura shouted angrily. "It's most definitely _not okay!_" She leaned in, placing her face inches from his. "You read my letter, showed it to everyone, and even told Sasuke about it! No matter what your intentions were, it still _hurt me!_"

Sakura's hands started shaking. "You have ruined _everything!_" she practically screamed into his face, though he barely blinked. "And I never, _ever _want to talk to you or see your face _ever again!_"

Gaara just kept looking at her with that bored expression of his. Fuming, Sakura sent him one last death glare, before stomping off in direction of the classroom. She felt her eyes burning. Her hands trembled.

_This is the end, _she thought, walking back to class, tears in her eyes. _Not the beginning, but the end. _She bore her nails into the palms of her balled hands. _Because I will never, ever, as long as I live, forgive him for this!_

* * *

**NOTE: I'm back! ^^**

**And with a whole new chapter! I hope you like it! (:**

**Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I appreciate it a lot! Ilu all so much! :3**


	10. Walk the Talk

**10. Walk the Talk**

Sakura curled up in her windowsill, watching the dark clouds outside.

She hadn't had the best week. Nobody had missed the fact that Gaara had revealed Sakura's love for Sasuke; especially since Temari, Kankarou, Kiba, and Neji kept reminding everyone. Sasuke had been kind enough to pretend like nothing had happened, but some of the others, especially his friends, his fangirls, and Gaara's siblings, had reveled in it. Sakura had been the victim of countless snide comments, rude remarks, and gleeful snickers since the incident.

Sakura sighed. She had hoped to blend in with the rest of the class, but instead, she stood out even more. Not even the foreigners had missed her humiliating situation, and they had all written her off as a total loser.

_And all thanks to that redheaded freak._

Sakura hadn't spoken with Gaara since their fight. She still knocked on his door in the morning, walked him to school, and sat with him in class, but she hadn't said as much as one word to him since then. And of course, he hadn't said even one word to her, either.

_This exchange student program isn't turning out so well…_

"Sakura?"

Sakura was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of her mother's voice. She looked up from her knees as the tall woman came into the room.

"Mindy has to be taken out for a walk," her mother told her.

Sakura sighed, but mumbled: "Fine." She started climbing down from the windowsill, searching for her shoes with her feet. "I'll take her."

"Thank you," her mother said with a smile. She paused. "You should bring Gaara, too."

Sakura froze, her figure turning rigid. Her mother sighed, shaking her head at her reaction. "Sakura," she said. "Gaara told me what happened." Sakura's eyes widened, hearing the words, but her mother continued. "And although, I understand you're angry, I'm telling you that you're going to have to forgive him." She sighed once more. "This exchange student program isn't going to work out if you don't."

Her mother sighed for the third time, but then sent her a stern look, starting to back out of the room. "And that's why you're going to take Gaara with you this afternoon. End of discussion."

Sakura stared after her mother as she disappeared out of the room. She felt like someone had poured a bucket of frozen gasoline over her head and then set her on fire. _I'm going to kill Gaara! _she thought, her facial expression turning into a scowl. _It wasn't enough for him to rat me out to my classmates. He had to go and tell my parents, too! _She hopped down from her windowsill and threw her shoes on. _Seriously, I'll kill him!_

She wanted to run straight to his room and strangle him with the leash, but since her mother had made it very clear to her that she had to treat him better, she forced herself to calmly walk to his door and knock. Like in the morning, he came straight to the door. Sakura was beginning to wonder if he ever slept at all.

Gaara seemed reluctant, when she told him to come with her on a walk, but in the end, he agreed. Mindy was more than a little excited to come outside, and Sakura had a hard time putting on the leash, and an even harder time hanging on to it, once they were outside.

Still, it was nothing compared to the self-control she had to muster in order to stop herself from screaming at, hitting, and strangling Gaara.

"Let's go this way," Sakura said snappishly, once they were out of the house. She steered them the shortest route around the block. Gaara nodded, silently trailing after her.

Sakura and Gaara walked in silence for a minute. Sakura wanted to make sure that they were far from the house, before she started shouting at him. But once they had rounded the corner at the end of her road, she thought it would be safe to start screaming her lungs dry.

"Okay, Gaara," she said, repeating her words from their last encounter. She sent him a death glare. "Let's just get this over with." Gaara looked at her in polite confusion, which just lit a torch under her temper. "_Not only_ did you tell my classmates, your classmates, _and everybody else_ in school my secret," she told him. "But you had to go and tell my _parents_, too?" She tugged on the leash, flailing her arms around in frustration. "_Seriously!_" she screamed. "_What is your problem?_"

Gaara just looked at her in puzzlement. "… No," he said. "… Your mother asked me what had happened… So I told her about the letter…"

Sakura stared at him. "_What?_" she shrieked. "You told her about the letter?" She had hoped that Gaara hadn't said more than that there had been a problem, and that the two of them had had a fight. Apparently, she had been wrong. "_What the hell is wrong with you?_"

Gaara blinked in surprise. "… Is that a problem?"

Sakura stomped her feet on the ground. "_Yes_, that's a problem!" she screamed.

Gaara nodded. "… Okay."

"_No!_" Sakura screamed. She was on the brink of tearing her hair from her head. "It's _not okay!_" She wanted to rant on, telling him how he had ruined everything, but she knew that it was no use. She was sick and tired of this. So instead, she repeated: "It's just not okay."

Gaara sighed, his expression turning into the usual mask of boredom. "… Okay," he said once more, but then continued: "… I'm… sorry, then…"

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Oh…" she mumbled. She hadn't thought that he knew how to or ever would say sorry. "You still shouldn't have said those things," she told him, half-heartedly trying to keep up her mercilessness. But then she just sighed. "But… I suppose… I can… forgive you," she mumbled.

Gaara nodded once more. "… Thank you."

Sakura sighed heavily. "Yeah," she muttered.

Sakura took Gaara around the block, and then lead him back in direction of the house. Both of them stayed silent throughout the rest of the walk. They had no more to say.

_But what could I say? _Sakura thought tiredly. _Even if I say that I truly forgive him… _She glanced at the redhead walking beside her. _I still know that I never really can._

* * *

**Here is the tenth chapter!**

**Oh, so much writer's block for this chapter… /: Even though, I've worked harder on this chapter than any of the others, I still think it blows. I just don't think it'll ever reach a point where it doesn't, so… Oh, well. I hope you guys will enjoy it, anyway!**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! I love reviews, even if it's just a small one, like "good, update soon". So please keep them coming! ^^**

**Love to you!**


	11. Walking the Dog

**11. Walking the Dog**

Sakura's situation at school didn't improve over the following week. More people had found out about the incident, and thus, the number of snide comments, badly concealed whispers, and gleeful, evil snickers had only increased. Sakura was officially Konoha Public High School's biggest laughing stock.

Sasuke was still polite, pretending like it hadn't happened, but the majority of his friends, and most of his fangirls, including Kiba, Neji, and Ino, let no possibility to remind Sakura of her mistake go by. Monday and Thursday had been particularly bad, since Ino was the captain of the Track Team, and she had made sure to let everybody on the team know what had happened.

Sakura had tried to tell herself to stop being mad at Gaara. She had tried to convince herself that he wasn't the one responsible for the mess, since she was the one who had made the mistake in the first place, and she was the one who had failed to explain things to him, once she had realized the mistake. Moreover, Gaara had actually apologized to her. Nevertheless, she couldn't help still being mad at him. She knew that no matter what she tried to tell herself, she would always be mad at him for what he said, and she would never really forgive him for what he did. After all, something like this didn't just get fixed.

But something happened over his second weekend in Konoha that helped to ease her hateful feelings a little.

Sakura was sitting in her room, finishing her homework for the upcoming week. Gaara had finished his homework earlier, so Sakura's mother had asked him to take the dog out for a walk. Sakura was just thinking how nice and quiet it was, when suddenly, she heard voices, barking, and loud noises outside. Confused, she looked out of the window. She would never forget the sight that met her.

Gaara was hanging on to Mindy's leash, as the dog came barging through flowers, hedges, and branches, chasing a squirrel for full speed. Gaara was shouting at the dog, cursing her in a colorful language, and crying for help. His hand was completely tangled into the leash. He had no choice but to follow the rabid dog.

Sakura ogled at the sight for a moment, before managing to shake it off and run out to help. But when she made it outside, Gaara and Mindy were nothing but a speck of color and movement in the distance.

"HEY!" Sakura called, setting off in a wild spurt. "MINDY! STOP! SIT!" She cupped her hands around her mouth as she ran. "MINDY! _SIIIT!_" But Mindy completely ignored her. She didn't come to stop until several blocks down.

When Sakura finally caught up to them, she was met by an unfortunate, but funny sight. Mindy had stopped to sit at a tree that the squirrel had run up in, her tale swishing, and her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Gaara was on the ground, tangled into the leash, unable to stand up.

Sakura couldn't help it. She spluttered with laughter. "Oh, Gaara!" she managed to get out through the laughs, tears starting to roll down her face. Gaara just looked at her in confusion and puzzlement, as he rolled around on the ground, tangled into the leash. "I'm sorry!" she said, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. "But you should've seen yourself!"

Still laughing, Sakura went to help the unfortunate redhead, who was tangled on the ground, cursing the dog to high hell.

"… I hate that dog!" Gaara exclaimed, once he was finally free of the leash. Sakura bent over, holding her stomach, and laughing uncontrollably, tears still spurting from her eyes. Gaara sent her a scornful look.

Sakura tried to stop laughing, but it was impossible. The situation was simply too funny.

"This… is the funniest thing… I have ever witnessed!" she managed to spit out through laughs as she took Gaara and Mindy home.

And despite the hateful looks that Gaara kept shooting her, she just couldn't stop laughing. In fact, she couldn't think of a situation where she had ever laughed this much.

Or where she had ever felt this good.

* * *

**Here is the eleventh chapter!**

**This might be personal favorite so far! So I hope you like it! ^^**

**Thanks for all the reviews, and for the alerts and favorites for the last chapter! It's greatly appreciated! :3**

**Ilu all! ^^**


	12. Rise

**12. Rise**

The students in Kakashi's early Mathematics class were met by a surprising sight when they walked into the room on Monday morning. Sakura and Gaara were sitting in the back of the class, but instead of sitting far apart, looking like they wanted nothing to do with each other, they had pushed their chairs together at the same table, and they were smiling, even talking to each other. Nobody had expected them to suddenly be on such friendly terms, considering what had happened between them just a few weeks prior.

Sakura couldn't help noticing the looks that everybody was shooting her. She sent the most indiscrete oglers an irritated look, but otherwise, tried to block out the stares.

_Let them stare, _she thought. _What do they know?_

After the hilarious incident where Gaara had been dragged all over Konoha by the runaway Mindy, Sakura's hateful feelings towards the redhead had softened a bit. She had decided to try to forgive him for what he had said, as it was obvious that he hadn't intended to hurt her by it; he was just a little denser than most people.

Sakura looked at Gaara, who was sitting right next to her, watching his surroundings with indifference. He didn't even seem to have noticed all the looks that were being cast his way. Sakura couldn't help smiling, for once appreciating his silent, blank, and bored expression.

"What is this?"

Sakura's smile vanished, recognizing the unpleasant voice. Kiba was standing in front of her table, flanked by Neji, Ino, Kankarou, and the foreign brunette from before.

"Getting friendly, are we?" Kiba grinned, gesturing towards Sakura and Gaara's shared table. Sakura blushed, letting her short hair fall over her eyes and hide her face. Gaara just looked at the people in front of him with a bored face.

Kiba raised an eyebrow, still grinning. "And here I thought Gaara had told the entire school about your crush on Sasuke," he said to Sakura. "Oh, wait!" he continued, faking insight. "He did, didn't he?"

Sakura blushed even redder, hiding her face behind her hair. Kiba just laughed, before taking his crew to his own table. Sakura thought she heard him utter the words, 'pathetic', and, 'such a loser'.

People were staring even more, some even snickering. Sakura's cheeks were burning. Her hands started to shake. She felt tears starting to form in her eyes. But she wouldn't give her classmates the satisfaction of seeing her cry in class, so she took a deep breath, and dried her eyes.

_Just let them stare, _she thought. _Just let them talk. What do they know? _She rubbed her red face with her damp hands. _They know absolutely nothing. Nothing! _Sakura sat up straight, trying to regain some of her scarce dignity. _To hell with all of them!_

* * *

Kakashi's class started, and ended all too soon.

Sakura sighed heavily, closing her notebook, knowing that she would have to endure more of her classmates' stares, snickers, and rude remarks as she walked to the next class.

And sure enough, she hadn't even exited the room, before Kiba stood in front of her again.

"Oh, Sakura!" he said, his voice mocking. "There is something I have to say." He faked tragedy, putting on hand over his heart, and placing the other hand on his forehead. "I have loved you from afar for a long time! But now…" he said dramatically, extending both arms to her. "I must confess!"

Kiba grabbed Neji by the shoulder, throwing him into their midst. "Neji will do it for me," he said, his expression becoming smug and gleeful. "I have wrote him a letter, explaining it all. And I'm sure he won't miss the point."

The whole class started laughing, the only exceptions being Sasuke, Shikamaru, Gaara, and, for some reason, Temari and Kankarou. Sakura just stared at the scene, her expression a mix of humiliation, shock, and anger.

The class continued laughing. Kiba faked thoughtfulness, tapping his chain with one finger. "Hmm… This reminds me of something…" He looked at her with a smug, evil grin. "Oh, right! It's like the time when you wrote a letter to Gaara, telling him all about how you're hopelessly in love with Sasuke!"

Fed up with the constant mockery, Sakura shot back: "At least I'm not the one following him around like some lost, little puppy."

The whole class fell silent. Kiba gaped at her in shock, his mouth falling open. Sasuke, Neji, and Ino just stared at her in disbelief.

Kankarou whistled. "Burn!" he said, smiling. Temari nodded at his words, smiling, too. Then they both started laughing, taking the whole class with them; except for Kiba, Neji, and Ino, who still stood staring stupidly with their mouths hanging open.

Sakura sent her classmates a scornful look, before throwing her bag over one shoulder and stomping out of the classroom. Gaara trailed behind her in silence.

_Screw them!_ she thought, marching down the hallway. _They can mess with me all they want… They can cut me with their words, shoot me with their eyes, and kill me with their hatred… _She balled her hands into fists, holding one of them up in front of her body like a war proclamation. _But I won't let them bring me down!_

Gaara nodded slightly, as if he had read her mind.

* * *

**Here is the twelfth chapter!**

**I enjoyed writing this one. So I hope you liked it! (:**

**By the way, the obvious reference in this chapter is Maya Angelou's poem, "Still I Rise". You can find it at the website called allpoetry. (: The poem is wonderful. You should totally read it! ^^**

**ANSWERING REVIEWS:**

**Starkiss666: Thanks for reviewing! There will soon be a chapter, in which Sakura's hobbies will be explored. ^^ As for the character of her home and parents: I wasn't aware that the word 'estate' meant something special… Language barriers. D: Sakura's parents are regular people with normal jobs, so I'm afraid that they're not that interesting and won't play a major role in this story. But thanks for all the ideas! I might use some of them, if I think they fit into the plot. ^^**

**Thanks to everyone who have reviewed, followed, and favorite this story! You're all awesome, and I love you all! ^^**


	13. Standing Up

**13. Standing Up**

Sakura's surprising change in attitude soon seemed to calm down some of the commotion surrounding her, her letter, and her embarrassing mistake.

Although, Kiba, Neji, and Ino still made a snide comment once in a while, their bullying wasn't even half as bad as before. After Kiba's mockery had backfired, he seemed rather bitter, moping around like a spoilt child. Neji and Ino were bitter, too, though they held their loss of face a lot better than Kiba did.

Sakura couldn't care less about her classmates' feelings. She was just relieved to be spared for the constant stares, snickers, and rude remarks, and she just hoped that everyone would soon move on and forget about the whole thing.

* * *

About a week after Sakura had told Kiba off, something rather surprising happened.

Sakura and Gaara were early for class, sitting in the still fairly empty classroom, waiting for the rest of the students to arrive, the bell to ring, and the class to start. Sakura was just telling Gaara that he would have to walk home on his own, since she was going boxing that afternoon, when Kankarou and Temari approached them.

"Hi," Temari said with a smile, walking up to their table.

Sakura looked up at her in surprise, suspicion coloring her expression. Gaara just looked at her in his usual bored fashion. "… Hello," he mumbled.

"Hi, Gaara," Kankarou greeted cheerfully, coming to stand besides his sister. Then he turned his eyes to Sakura. "Sakura," he said in a more serious tone. "We were wondering if we could talk."

Sakura looked coolly at the tall siblings. "And what would we have to talk about?" she asked in a cold voice.

Kankarou lowered his gaze under her intense glare. "We would like to apologize," he told her. Sakura blinked in surprise, but then went back to staring coldly at them.

"Apologize for what?" she sneered, narrowing her eyes. "For reading my letter? For laughing about it? For mocking me _constantly_ and _viciously_ with it?"

Kankarou sighed. "For everything," he told her.

Sakura kept glaring at him, her eyes narrowed. Temari seemed to realize that Sakura wasn't going to believe them just like that, so she stepped up.

"We're sorry," she said. "Gaara showed us the letter back home. We couldn't help laughing at the unintended confession in it, and truth be told, we thought a mistake like that deserved a little mocking." She sighed, ruffling her curly, blonde hair. "And in the beginning, we thought it would just be a little innocent teasing… But then, the others started taking it further, turning it into a cruel joke, bullying you in front of everyone…" She looked over at Kankarou, and then at Sakura. "And we were just not okay with that sort of behavior."

"And we know that we started it," Kankarou continued. "We know that we were the first ones to laugh, the first ones to point fingers, the first ones to be cruel… And we know that you have no reason to forgive us…" He flashed a hopeful smile. "But nevertheless, we really hope that you will."

Sakura looked at the tall siblings in surprise and confusion. She hadn't ever expected them to come and apologize like this, considering the amount of time and effort they had put into harassing her. "Let me get this straight…" she said. "You have teased me, mocked me, even harassed me for weeks on end… And now you're telling me that it was only for fun, that you weren't in on the cruel jokes, and that all you really want is to be my friends?"

Kankarou and Temari looked at each other, and then back at her. They both opened and closed their mouths several times, but no words came out. Kankarou scratched his neck, which had turned a soft shade of pink. Temari ruffled her hair, looking rather embarrassed.

Sakura sighed heavily. "Listen…" she said, looking straight at them. "Your behavior towards me has been completely unacceptable." Kankarou and Temari looked to the floor, seeming ashamed. Sakura continued. "But as much as I would like to tell both of you to go to hell…" She sighed once more. "I'm sick and tired of all this. I'm sick of the letter, I'm sick of the rumors, but mostly, I'm sick of being so mad at everything and everyone all the time." Sakura looked Kankarou and Temari right in the eyes. "And that's why… I'm going to forgive you."

The siblings looked up at her in surprise.

"You are?" Temari asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yes," she said. "I am."

"Thank you!" Kankarou said, his face breaking into a smile. "That's wonderful!"

Temari nodded at his words, smiling, too. "Yes, it is!" she said.

Both of them began rambling on about wanting to sit with her in class, or eat lunch with her in the cafeteria, or even coming over to her house to visit.

Sakura nodded at their words, though she didn't offer a reply or even a smile. She still doubted the siblings' real intentions. She couldn't help noticing that they hadn't offered to be her friend, before she had stood up for herself. They hadn't been there for her when she really needed it, hadn't helped her when she really wanted it, hadn't done anything for her when there was a risk involved in it. They had only come to her, when she had no more use for their help, and when it was no longer risky for them to do so.

Still, she stood by her word. She was going to forgive them, if only to rid herself of all the drama, madness, and hatred concerning her letter.

_After all, it turned out I was right in forgiving Gaara…_ she thought to herself._ And that's why I will try to forgive Kankarou and Temari, too. _She sighed. _I just hope I won't regret it._

* * *

**Here is the thirteenth chapter! I hope you like it! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! You guys are the best! ^^**


	14. In the Past

**14. In the Past**

Sakura's contact with Kankarou and Temari steadily came to resemble something like friendship over the following two weeks.

To Sakura's surprise, the tall siblings kept their promises to her, often coming to sit with her in class, inviting her to sit with them at lunch, even seriously talking about coming over to her house for a visit.

Still, Sakura wouldn't say that she trusted them completely. She was still a little suspicious of them, often studying them when she thought they weren't looking. Even now, as she was sitting in the cafeteria, eating lunch with Gaara, Kankarou, Temari, and Shikamaru, she couldn't help looking doubtfully at Kankarou's handsome face and Temari's striking blue eyes over the edge of her fork.

"Sakura." Kankarou suddenly looked up at her, smiling friendlily. Sakura hurriedly looked the other way, hoping that he hadn't noticed her stare. "There's something that I've been wondering about," he continued. He put a mouthful of fried kelp in his mouth, looking right into her eyes. "Well… You're beautiful, sporty, smart, and nice…" Sakura's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink at Kankarou's description of her, but the tall foreigner went on regardless. "So, it made me wonder… Why is it that you're an outsider around here?"

Sakura looked at Kankarou in surprise. "Do you really want to know?" she asked.

Kankarou held up his hands, waving them in front of his body. "You don't have to tell me if you don't to," he said quickly. "I was just wondering…"

"No, it's okay," Sakura told him, smiling good-naturedly. "I'll tell you." She looked at the small group of people sitting at the table. Kankarou and Temari were both looking at her with an interested expression; Gaara was looking at her as well, his expression bored; and Shikamaru was looking down at his plate, sticking at his food, moving uncomfortably around in his seat.

Sakura ignored Shikamaru's obvious discomfort, and began telling her story. "Konoha isn't that big of a city," she said, "so when I was a kid, I was friends with most of the kids, who were the same age as me. My best friends when I was a child were Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuuga, Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru and Sasuke." Gaara, Kankarou, and Temari looked over at Shikamaru in surprise. Shikamaru blushed a little, moving even more nervously around in his seat.

Sakura continued. "Of course, I had other close friends, too; including Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyuuga." Gaara, Kankarou, and Temari looked even more surprised, and the latter even turned around to look at the aforementioned boys, who were sitting at a table nearby. Sakura went on. "We were all very good friends. We often all hung out together; riding our bikes, eating ice cream, or just playing around." She smiled, thinking of all her happy childhood memories. "When we were little, we often met up to play soccer or dodge ball or something like that. Then, when we were a little older, the boys met up to play sports, and the girls met up to cheer them on. And then, when we were a little older than that, the boys still met up to play sports, whereas the girls met up for sleepovers or movie nights or something like that. We were really very close for a long time."

Sakura sighed heavily. She wished she could keep ranting on about all the happy memories, but she knew that she had to move on to the less cheerful part. "But, then…" she said. "As we grew older, things started to change… things got in the way…" She sighed once more. "As I said to begin with, my closest friends when I was a kid were Ino, Hinata, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke." She looked over at Shikamaru, sending him a smile. "When we were kids, Ino, Hinata, and I often used to talk about the boys, especially which of them we wanted to marry in the future. I wanted to marry Sasuke, Ino wanted to marry Shikamaru, and Hinata wanted to marry Naruto."

"But when we grew older, the perfect picture started to fall apart." Sakura lowered her eyes, her heart sinking in her chest, thinking of the things that she would have to explain. "The first horrible thing that happened was when Sasuke's parents, aunt, and uncle died in a car accident." Kankarou lowered his eyes, too. He had probably the heard the story before. "Sasuke… He broke. Completely fell apart. And it took a long time, before he was able to pick up the pieces again." Sakura looked into her lap, biting her lip. Her voice shook a little. "That might be the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. Sasuke was one of my best friends. And I couldn't help him."

"The second terrible thing that happened was when Sasuke and Naruto broke apart. They had been best friends for a long time, standing by each other at all times. When Sasuke's family passed away, Naruto was there for him all the time. But then, for some reason… They got into a fight. And it was impossible for them to make up."

Sakura sighed, closing her eyes. Her voice still shook. "And that takes us to the third bad thing… As I sad before, Ino, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and I were best friends when we were younger. But when Naruto and Sasuke separated, our whole group fell apart." She sighed for the hundredth time. "The problem was that we took sides; Ino and I sided with Sasuke, whereas Shikamaru and Hinata sided with Naruto. And our group just couldn't handle that much intern pressure."

Sakura took a deep breath, ridding her voice of her shakiness from before. "Thus, our group more or less broke into two, with me, Ino, and Sasuke on one side, and Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata on the other. And that takes us to the real reason why I'm on my own." Sakura looked out, meeting the sad, sympathetic, and friendly faces of those in front of her. "Sasuke, Ino, and I didn't work as a group. Both Ino and I had fallen for Sasuke over the years. Our respective feelings were the reason that we had sided with Sasuke in the first place. We had both hoped that the group's dissolve would lead to our respective relationship with him. But when we found out about each other's intentions, even our own little group started to break apart. Sasuke simply left, telling both of us that this wasn't going to work out. Ino took all her hurt feelings out on me, telling me that she never wanted to see me again, and that she would make sure that no one else would want to, either. And she kept her promise. She never spoke to me again. And she saw to it that the none of the others didn't, either." Sakura forced a smile, still looking at the people in front of her. "So, in the end… Sasuke went his way, eventually forming a friendship with Kiba and Neji. Ino went her way, eventually regaining her friendship with Hinata, and later on, Tenten. And I went my way…" Sakura said sadly. "… Alone."

Kankarou and Temari looked at her with sympathetic expressions, their eyes sad. Gaara looked at her, too. It was the first time that he didn't even look the least bit bored. Shikamaru just sat there, looking at the table, shame coloring his expression.

Sakura blinked in surprise, when Kankarou suddenly reached over to take her hand. "Sorry," he told her, his voice soft. "I'm so sorry." He squeezed her hand a little. "For everything."

* * *

**Here is the fourteenth chapter!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed Sakura's story! I kind of made it up as I wrote, so I hope the story in it, the character's roles in it, and the overall idea makes sense. And I hope you liked it! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following and favoriting! Your support means so much to me! Ilu gaiz! :3**


	15. With Eyes Wide Open

**15. With Eyes Wide Open**

Sakura's story seemed to have a rather big impact on Kankarou's, Temari's, and Gaara's behavior towards her.

Kankarou and Temari had both been kinder, more considerate and more understanding around her. They had also made sure to live up to their promises, walking with to class, sitting with her in the classroom, and eating lunch with her every day. They even came with her to track and boxing once in a while.

Kankarou had been especially enthusiastic.

"I'm sorry," Kankarou said for the hundredth time, as he helped her hang the punch ball right. "If I had known what happened before…"

Sakura sighed. "Don't worry," she told him for the two hundredth time, putting on her boxing gloves. "You couldn't have known…"

"Still…" Kankarou bit his lip, as he studied the position of the ball. "You had already taking your battering for it all years before we came along…" He seemed to be satisfied with the punch's ball position and went to stand in the corner of the room. "We shouldn't have made you go through it all again."

Sakura flexed her fingers inside the tight gloves, studying the punch ball in front of her. "Don't worry about it," she said again. "You couldn't have known about the things that happened in my childhood… And even if you did know, I'm pretty sure Kiba, Ino, and the others would've made it sound like I deserved everything I got."

Kankarou snorted. "Ino, Kiba, and Neji aren't worth the air they breathe."

Sakura took aim at the punch ball. "You got that right," she said, as first her right, then her left hand hit the ball, sending it flying. She kept hitting it this way and that, making it bounce in its restrain, flying heavily in and out of her punching range.

Sakura couldn't help looking out on her audience, as she boxed the ball in front of her. Kankarou was standing in one corner of the room, his eyes following the violent moves of the ball. Gaara was sitting in another corner, his eyes on her.

Sakura had noticed that her story seemingly not only had affected Kankarou and Temari, but Gaara as well. Sakura often caught him looking at her, his expression intense, but unreadable. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under his intense stare; she felt like his bright teal eyes were looking right through her, like they stripped away layers of her flesh in search of something precious in the core of her soul.

She shook her head a little at that thought, a smile playing on her lips. _Searching for something special in my soul… _She shook her head a little more. _Oh, stupid me. _She sprang around, hitting, punching, and kicking the ball in front of her with all the concentration and strength she could muster. She knew that she had to hit it right, but hard, for the training to have effect. Still, it was hard to focus with Gaara's bright turquoise eyes constantly and passionately glued to her face.

* * *

After about half an hour, Sakura's training ended. She was sore, sweaty, and out of breath, but she still felt a lot better than before the training session. She wasn't sure if it was the positive benefits of the training itself, if was the training helped get her frustration out, or if it was the fact that she imagined that she was hitting Ino, Kiba, and Neji, whenever she punched the punch ball.

Kankarou brought her a bottle of water, which she swallowed on the spot.

"You're kind of fierce," he told her, raising his eyebrows and looking in direction of the punch ball, which was still hopping uncontrollably in its restrain. "And incredibly strong."

"Thank you," Sakura told him, panting heavily. "I've been boxing for a long time." She dried her face with her towel. "They wouldn't allow me to train in here on my own if I hadn't, so…"

Kankarou flashed a smile. "Thanks for letting me watch," he told her "It was really cool.". He looked at his wristwatch. "But I'm afraid that I have to go now. I told some of my classmates from home that I would do something with them this afternoon…"

"Sure," Sakura told him, waving him off with one hand. "See you tomorrow."

"See you," Kankarou said with a smile, as he walked out of the room, leaving Sakura and Gaara in their usual silence.

Sakura took her time, taking down the punch ball, packing her boxing gloves, having another bottle of water. She considered if she should take a shower, but decided to shower at home, so she wouldn't have to make Gaara wait.

"Gaara," she called, as she tossed her training bag over her shoulder. "Are you ready to go home?"

Gaara nodded, standing up, and brushing off his khakis. "… Yes," he said. Sakura couldn't help noticing that his eyes hadn't left her face for even a second during this session. She also couldn't help feeling a little weird, looking back at him, looking into his bright, colorful eyes.

_There's something about those eyes…_

"Alright," she told him, staring into his bright eyes. The weird feeling bubbled in her chest, sending a strange, but pleasant warmth through her body. Flustered, she turned her back to him and made her way out of the small room.

_Gaara… _Sakura pondered, as she walked through the fitness center, smiling shyly at the other guests. _Gaara mightn't speak a lot…_ She looked over her shoulder to see if the redhead was with her. He was following right on her tail, his bright eyes still locked on her. The weird feeling bubbled up again, the warmth sensation shooting through her system once more. _But his eyes say more than a thousand words._

* * *

**Here is the fifteenth chapter!**

**NOTE: I've never boxed, so I have no idea if the boxing session in this chapter is realistic and believable or not. But I hope it is, and I hope you all liked this chapter, regardless. (:**

**ANSWERING REVIEWS:**

**Genuinely-Unique: Thanks for reviewing! Sakura's story takes place several years before the present time. Thus, when Sakura writes a letter to a complete stranger, confessing her love for Sasuke, everybody finds it surprising, pathetic, and mockable, because that means that Sakura has loved Sasuke for all those years, even though she hasn't been in contact with him, and even though he rejected her before.**

**Thanks to everyone, who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! You're all so damn wonderful! (:**


	16. Starting to Learn

**16. Starting to Learn**

Over the course of the following weeks, Kankarou, Temari, and Gaara continued to be overly attentive towards Sakura. Kankarou and Temari were still being overly considerate and kind to her, and they still sat with her in class, ate lunch with her in the cafeteria, and often came with her to track, boxing, and dance.

Gaara continued to watch her with his bright, turquoise eyes, and Sakura continued to look back into his eyes, though the strange, warm sensation kept overwhelming her. She still couldn't help thinking that he was looking for something in her; something that he had seen, something that had stuck with him, something that he was eager to see again. She couldn't help wondering what it was that he had seen in her. Was it something that she saw in herself? Or could it only be seen through his bright eyes?

* * *

Sakura found herself thinking of Gaara more and more often. _What is up with him?_ she kept wondering. _Why is it that he acts so mysteriously?_ She couldn't help thinking that something was off in the way he spoke so slowly, so tonelessly; in the way he stared at her so intensely, so piercingly; or in the way that he seemed absolutely clueless as to how to behave in this world.

"Gaara," Temari said, when Sakura finally worked up the courage to ask her, "Gaara is one of a kind." The tall blonde flashed a smile, making her way down the crowded hallway. "Most people thinks that he stands out too much, that he's strange, or even that he's retarded." Temari's smile widened. "But they're wrong. Gaara's highly intelligent. And not only that, but he's very talented… whatever he does, he does it perfectly. And to top it off, he's really very handsome, don't you think?"

Sakura blinked in surprise at Temari's long ramble. "Oh," she said. "Eh… Sure." She furrowed her brows. "But even if he's intelligent, skilled, and handsome," she said, "he seems to be completely clueless when it comes to things such as emotion or sense of situation…"

Temari's smile fell a little. "Yeah," she said, biting her lip. "Well…" She skidded to a stop outside their classroom, and turned to face Sakura. "Gaara hasn't had… the easiest childhood."

Sakura looked at Temari in surprise. "The easiest childhood?" she repeated.

"No…" Temari said. "Gaara's childhood has been rather difficult." She looked at Sakura, her expression serious. "Gaara has a rare illness," she explained, making Sakura raise her brows in surprise. "Sadly, he was born with it, so it can't be treated. When he was a child, the illness caused him to suffer a lot." Temari's eyes watered, as she continued. "His sickness effected him in so many ways. And it still effects him in some. Did you know that he is almost completely insomniac?"

Sakura almost choked on her own breath in surprise and insight. "Oh, he is?" she breathed. "I was wondering why he so rarely seemed to sleep…"

Temari nodded. "Yeah." She sighed. "Gaara barely sleeps at all." Temari looked at Sakura, something like a knowing smile tugging at the end of her lips. "The second he sleeps for real, is the second that his life will change... for the better."

Sakura looked at Temari in confusion. She wasn't sure what to make of Temari's knowing expression or of her mysterious words. _What is up with her? _Sakura raised a brow, scrutinizing Temari's expression. _Does she know something that I don't?_

Suddenly, Sakura remembered the way that Gaara had stared at her lately; the way his bright teal eyes seemed to be locked on to her face; the way her eyes were beginning to seek his face, too; the strange warmth that spread through her system when their eyes met. _Maybe, _she thought, _she knows what that is about. _Sakura frowned, still looking intensely at Temari. _Maybe, she knows what all of it is about…_

But before Sakura had a chance to ask Temari about any of it, the school bell rung, ending their conversation.

* * *

**So… here is the sixteenth chapter! I hope you liked it! (:**

**I'm sorry that this chapter is this short… I promise that the next one will be longer!**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! ILU! :3**


	17. Finding Out

**17. Finding Out**

Sakura looked at the blackboard in front of her with empty eyes.

It had been a few days since Sakura and Temari had talked, but Sakura simply hadn't been able to stop thinking about their conversation.

"_Gaara," _Temari's voice rang through her mind, _"Gaara is one of a kind." _Sakura glanced over at Gaara, who was sitting next to her, looking at the blackboard with a bored expression. _"He's highly intelligent." _Sakura didn't doubt those words. She hadn't given it much thought before, but the redhead actually did incredibly well in all his classes. _"And not only that, but he's also very talented… whatever he does, he does it perfectly." _Sakura had noticed that when it came to matters that acquired skill mastering, Gaara was actually very talented; however, on the other hand, when it came to things such as social rules or sense of situation, he was completely hopeless. _"And to top it off, he's really very handsome." _Sakura studied Gaara's face out of the corner of her eye. She had to admit that he was rather handsome with his slim face, clean features, tousled, but charming, red hair, and his bright, stunning, incredible turquoise eyes…

Sakura blushed, turning her eyes back to the blackboard. Forcing herself to think of something else, she concentrated on the rest of her and Temari's conversation. _"Gaara has a rare illness." _Sakura could believe that, too. Studying his face, she had to admit that even though, Gaara was handsome, he also looked a little sick with his unnaturally pale skin and the permanent dark circles under his eyes. _"Sadly, he was born with it, so it can't be treated. When he was a child, the sickness affected him in so many ways. And it still affects in some. Did you know that he's almost completely insomniac?" _Sakura didn't doubt that it was true. She had lived with long enough to suspect that something was wrong with his sleeping patterns. _"The second he sleeps is the second his life will change… for the better."_ Sakura still didn't know what Temari meant with that, though she suspected that it had something to do with her. But how could it? And why would it?

When the school bell rung, signaling the end of the school day, Sakura still wasn't any closer to solving the riddle. _"The second he sleeps is the second his life will change… for the better…" _Sakura couldn't for her death figure out why Temari had said those words.

Sighing, she collected her things, and stuffed them into her bag. "Gaara?" She turned to look at the redhead, whose bright eyes were once more on her face. "Do you want to walk home, or do you want to come with me to dance practice?" She swung her bag over her shoulder. "You're welcome to come with me, but if you would rather not…"

"… No." Gaara shook his head, putting on his bag, too. "… I'll go with you."

"Alright," Sakura told him, flashing a smile. She wasn't sure why, but the fact that he wanted to come made her rather happy.

Temari's head popped up beside her brother's. "You're going to dance?" she asked. Sakura nodded, and Temari lightened up. "Can I come?"

"Sure," Sakura said, shrugging. Still, she couldn't stop her heart from picking up its pace, or her brain from racing on with a million thoughts.

_Temari didn't have a chance to tell me the whole story before, _Sakura thought, leading the two siblings out of the classroom. _But today, I'll have a chance of finding out the truth… the whole truth._

* * *

Sakura adjusted her shoes, trying them on the hard surface of the linoleum floor. She looked over her shoulder through the crowds of people at Temari and Gaara, who were both sitting in a corner of the dance studio. Temari was putting on her shoes, fitting them around her slender feet; Gaara was looking at Sakura, his bright eyes glowing in the dim light in the studio.

Temari tested her shoes on the floor, before she hopped up from the bench, made her way through the gatherings of people, and walked up to Sakura. "Okay," she said, smiling. "I'm ready."

"Yeah, I'm ready, too," Sakura said, stretching her arms. She looked at the other dancers, who had gathered in little groups of twos and threes around them. They were stretching out, talking, and laughing. They weren't paying attention to them.

Sakura turned to Temari, who was stretching, too. "Temari," she said, as the blonde bent over, stretching the back of her legs. "I was wondering…" Sakura looked in direction of Gaara, who was still sitting in a corner of the studio, his eyes on her. "The last time we talked…" She bit her lip. "… You said some things that were… kind of confusion. And I was wondering, if maybe, you could… elaborate on them a little," she said cautiously.

Temari stood up, stretching her arms towards the ceiling. "Elaborate?" she asked after a little while. She let her arms fall to her sides, and turned to look at the pinkette.

Sakura nodded. "Yes…" She weighed her next words carefully, before she spoke. "You told me part of your story before," she said, "but I can't help feeling that you didn't tell me the whole thing. So, if it's not too much to ask… I would like to know the whole story."

Temari eyed her for a moment, seemingly wondering if it would be a good idea to tell the pinkette everything. Then she sighed, apparently deciding that it couldn't hurt. "Well…" she began. "Like I said before, Gaara has had a rather tough childhood." Temari's expression became serious. "He was born with a terrible illness, which cursed him to live in sleepless solitude. And like I sad, Gaara barely sleeps at all. The lack of rest effects his brain, to the point where even eating, talking, and being around others is exhausting" She sighed. "When we were kids, Gaara was so troubled, so difficult, so _impossible_ to be around that even our parents, Kankarou, and I kept our distance. Gaara's teachers, classmates, and the like wouldn't even go near him."

Temari sighed once more, ruffling her curly, blonde hair. "Gaara has never really known parenthood, friendship, or love," she said. "None of the people in his childhood were there for him. Thus, he lived a lonely life, where he spent most of his time staring at ceiling, willing himself to move, to eat, to keep breathing…" Temari's eyes watered, her voice becoming a little thick. "Once we were a little older, Gaara's condition started to better, and he became easier to be with. Slowly, but carefully, our parents, Kankarou, and I started to take part in his life again; and his teachers and classmates started treating him better, too. But of course, it was too late… much too late…" Temari paused, taking a deep breath, and running one hand over her watering eyes. "Gaara is the way he is, because we… we were scared; scared of his condition, scared of his incurable illness, scared… scared of him. And so, we weren't there for him." She paused once more, taking a deep breath.

"The worst part of it all…" she continued after a moment, "is that Gaara had a terrible accident in his childhood… which almost cost him and some other kids their lives." Sakura's eyes widened at this, but Temari went on. "However, the incident remains a mystery. Gaara hasn't told anyone what happened that day, and the other kids either can't or won't talk about it, either."

Temari paused once, taking another deep breath to get herself under control. She looked right at Sakura with a serious expression. "Our parents, Kankarou, and I have tried to be there for him since then," she said, "we've tried to talk to him, to show that we want to be around him, but he isn't interested in our company. In fact, he isn't interested in anyone's company." She looked right into Sakura's eyes. "Except for yours." Sakura's eyes widened even more, and she blinked in surprise. Temari went on. "Gaara hasn't looked at someone, hasn't talked to someone, and hasn't been the least bit interested in being around someone other than you." The blonde's expression was unnaturally serious. "So, I'd say… If someone has a chance of getting to him… it's you."

Sakura just stared at Temari, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open, her whole body limp from shock, but Temari didn't say anything more. They fell silent, both of them staring at the other, and both of them in deep thoughts. Yet, the unspoken hang like an unpleasant fog in the air between them.

Sakura was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when the dance teacher entered, the girls lined up, and the lesson began.

* * *

**Here is the seventeenth chapter! And the longest one so far! I hope you liked it. (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! (I can't believe that this story has more than 50 followers! It mightn't seem that big to anyone else, but I think it's huge!) You're all wonderful. ILU ALL! :3**


	18. Sleepless

**18. Sleepless**

Sakura stared up at the ceiling through the thick darkness of her room.

She had been in her bed for hours, but she simply hadn't been able to find rest. She was starting to believe that she would never fall asleep. She tilted her head a little, looking at the clock that was sitting on her nightstand. The pointers told her that it was 2.45 aM. Sighing, she tilted her head back up, resuming her watch of the ceiling.

Sakura knew the reason for her sleeplessness. Temari's words kept circling in her head like an endless echo. _"Gaara has had a rather tough childhood. He has never really known parenthood, friendship, or love. None of the people in his childhood were there for him. Thus, he lived a lonely life, where he spent most of his time staring at ceiling, willing himself to move, to eat, to keep breathing…"_

Sakura bit her lip, feeling something stinging in her eyes. Gaara had suffered from an incurable illness, which brought him a great deal of pain, and which had kept his family from being with him. Nobody had been there to help him, to teach him, or let him learn about the wonders and rules of human companionship.

_Gaara never intended to hurt me when he told Sasuke and the others about my letter, _she realized. _He couldn't have known that it would embarrass me or hurt me… He wouldn't know why I got so mad at him or why I couldn't forgive him… _Her front teeth bore even more into her bottom lip. _That stupid letter… Stupid Sasuke, stupid Ino, stupid Kiba… None of it is even nearly as bad as what Gaara has to go through._

Temari's voice rang through her mind once more. _"The worst part of it all is that Gaara had a terrible accident in his childhood… which almost cost him and some other kids their lives. But the incident remains a mystery. Gaara hasn't told anyone what happened that day, and the other kids either can't or won't talk about it, either."_ Sakura shuddered a little, her mind clouding with possible scenarios for the mysterious accident. She found herself being equally curious and scared to know what is was that had happened.

Temari's final words filled her mind, as they had a thousand times that day. _"Gaara hasn't looked at someone, hasn't talked to someone, and hasn't been the least bit interested in being around someone other than you. So, I'd say… If someone has a chance of getting to him, it's you."_ Sakura had to admit that she had noticed that Gaara preferred to be in her company. She just couldn't figure out why Gaara would want to be around her, considering that she had been reluctant to be his host, shouted at him countless times, and generally given the impression that she would rather be free of him. _But if his sister, who has known him his entire life, says that I'm the only person he's ever shown any kind of affection towards, _she pondered, _I'll have to take it as the truth._

Sighing, she turned over, so she was on her side, looking at the merciless pointers of the clock. _But still, _she figured, _even if I'm the only one that Gaara's ever liked, it's not like I can perform miracles. _The stinging in her eyes intensified. _Gaara is the way he is. He is intelligent, talented, and very handsome, but he's also terribly ill, socially disabled, and more than difficult to be with. _A tear escaped her eye, and she roughly dried it off. _Yes, Gaara is the way he is… And the world is going to have to live with that._

Sakura sighed once more, trying to find rest in that statement. But despite her efforts, she couldn't help tossing and turning, her eyes fluttering open if she didn't forcefully close them. However, she knew that it was inevitable. She had known that this would happen ever since she had heard the heartbreaking story of her houseguest's past. And she had known what she had to do, as soon as the story had entered her brain and plummeted to the bottom of her heart.

Sighing heavily, Sakura stood up, stretching her sore limbs. Even though, she was in her pajamas, she wrapped the bed sheets around her body before tiptoeing over the floor, creaking her door open, and slipping out into the hallway.

She held her breath as she cautiously tiptoed the short distance to the next door. Standing outside the door, she hesitated. She couldn't be one hundred percent sure that he wasn't sleeping. She also couldn't be one hundred percent sure that he would want to talk to her. Still, she knew that her concerns were foolish. He would be awake. And he would want to speak with her.

Taking a deep, silent breath, she put her hand on the doorknob and quietly pushed it open. She peeked into the dark room, her heart racing in her chest. "Gaara?" she whispered.

Gaara was sitting in the windowsill. When he heard her voice, he tilted his head in her direction, his bright eyes shining. "… Sakura?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes, it's me," Sakura whispered back. "Can I come in?"

Gaara looked at her for a confused moment, before he answered: "… Yes… Okay."

"Thank you." Sakura stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She wrapped her bed sheets tighter around her body. Taking another deep breath, she turned to him. "Gaara," she said in a low, intense voice. "Temari told me about your past… She told me… She told me that you had a terrible illness... and that it had caused you a lot of pain." Upon hearing those words, Gaara shifted uncomfortably in the windowsill, his bright eyes looking to the floor; but Sakura went on. "However…" she said. "Temari also told me that there are some unresolved things in your past…" She took one last, deep breath. "And that's why I'm here," she stated in a low, but firm voice. "You got to hear my life story… It seems only fair that you should tell me yours."

Gaara was silent for a long time. Sakura could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest in Gaara's completely still, unmoving silence. But finally, Gaara turned to her, his bright eyes once more on her face. "… Okay," he told her in his soothing, raw voice. "… I'll tell you."

Sighing, he curled up in a ball, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. "… I'll tell you my story."

* * *

**Here is the eighteenth chapter!**

**And with a cliffhanger! Or, at least, what is intended to be a cliffhanger. ^^' Anyway, I hope this chapter turned out to be interesting. And I hope you liked it! (:**

**Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! I would especially like to thank STEFFKarnat, MidnightKat1, EnlightenedNinja, MaronTodai, and miikodesu for having been such wonderful and faithful reviewers all throughout this story! (:**

**Love to you all! ^^**


	19. Telling the Truth

**19. Telling the Truth**

"… My life… hasn't been easy," Gaara said, curling up in the windowsill. Sakura was sitting on the edge of his bed, swept up in her sheets, listening to his raw voice. "… My mere existence has been called… an abomination. My parents say that my birth was difficult… And my life is harder."

Gaara paused, seeming to search for words. Sakura kept silent, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"… My birth… was troubling," Gaara told her. "… My mother… my mother almost died… from the pain and the blood loss… But she fought… And she lived. Both of us lived." Gaara locked his arms even tighter around his knees, curling into a tight, impenetrable human ball. "… But… Even though, we both lived… Even though, _I_ lived… I was sick."

Sakura shuddered at the unsettling words. Shivering, she drew her sheets closer around her body.

"… I was born sick," Gaara continued. "… And… I've had to live with the sickness ever since…. The sickness itself… isn't so bad… But the side effects…" Gaara paused, his forehead creasing into a frown, as he searched for words. After a moment, the creases in his forehead smoothed out, and he continued. "… The sickness… has a lot of side effects… And he worst part is… that I cannot sleep..." Gaara turned to look at Sakura, his bright eyes glowing in the dim room. "… that I can _never _sleep." Sakura gulped, nodding. She knew that part, already. Gaara went on. "… And even eating… talking… sometimes, breathing… is hard, too."

Gaara paused once more, looking for words, before continuing. "… My family… My mother, my father, Temari, and Kankarou… couldn't understand the sickness… And they…" Gaara took a moment, before saying in a flat voice: "… They left me."

Sakura wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him that they hadn't wanted to leave him, that they loved him, but that they were scared. Still, she knew that nothing could ease the pain that their abandonment had caused him. So in the end, she kept her mouth shut.

"… When I was a child…" Gaara said. "… The sickness… was bad. All of the doctors in Suna came to see me… But none of them could help me. So… I was bedridden for a long time… I couldn't drink… eat… talk… I definitely couldn't sleep… And on top of all that… I was alone." Sakura could see that remembering that painful time of his life was difficult for him. She bit her lip, wishing that there was a way that she could ease his pain; though, she knew there wasn't. "But…" Gaara went on. "… When… I was older, the sickness… wasn't so bad, anymore… I didn't have to be bedridden… I could eat… talk… breathe. And… I could be with others, too." He paused for a moment, frowning once more. "… My family… My family had left me… And… I was so mad at them… So… I stayed away from them." Gaara sighed a little, and then continued. "… But… When my sickness was better… When I started school… I found… some people that were close to… friends."

Gaara sighed once more, this time heavier. "… Yes… When my sickness was better… My family… came back… My teachers… treated me better… And I found… someone… close to friends." He closed his eyes, shutting out the brightest light in the room.

"… One time…" he then said, his voice suddenly edging. Sakura's breath caught in her throat at the sudden change of emotion. "One time, my… friends invited me to come play with them. I… I had never played with someone, before… And… And I was so happy to be able to play with someone then… I was so happy…" Gaara paused for a moment, seemingly fighting the edge in his voice. "… My… friends… took me to a sand pit… Our parents… and teachers… had told us not to go there… because it was dangerous… But… we did." Sakura looked at him through the dim light in the room, her eyes wide. Gaara's edge voice wasn't a good sign. "… And… And I… The sickness took over… When we were standing on the highest edge of the sand pit… I… I…" Gaara took a deep, shaky breath. "… I fell asleep."

Sakura's eyes widened even more at this statement. She gaped at the redhead in front of her in confusion. Gaara didn't seem to notice her surprise. "… I was never able to sleep before… But, suddenly… My eyes closed… And I fell asleep for just a moment," he told her. "… When I fell asleep, I fell into the sand pit… And as I fell, I grabbed onto one of my… friends. We both fell down, crashing to the bottom of the pit… I survived without a scratch… But my… friend… almost died… And… my other friends told me... that my sickness had made me crazy… that I was a freak… a _monster_… and that it was my fault if our friend died… But… even though, he lived… None of my… old friends ever talked to me ever again."

Sakura just stared at Gaara through the dark room, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew that children could be cruel, but she had never thought they could be this cruel. No wonder, Gaara hadn't wanted to talk about it ever since!

Sakura sniffed. Gaara sighed heavily, hanging his head. "… And… that is my story," he said quietly. "... No matter… who is in my life… Be it… my mother… or a friend… I end up hurting them… I end up making them… leave me…" He released his tight hold on myself, the human ball unclenching. "… And I don't know why… But I know… that I wish that someone… loved me… that someone secretly adored me… or even just wrote a letter to someone else, confessing that they admired me from afar."

Sakura couldn't take it any longer. She threw the sheets aside and walked the short distance to where Gaara was sitting. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she threw her arms around the shocked boy, hugging his warm body closely to hers.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," she whispered in a hoarse voice, repeating the words that Kankarou had spoken to her. "I'm so sorry. For everything."

* * *

**So, here is the nineteenth chapter!**

**This chapter has given me so many problems… /: I'm still not completely satisfied with it. But it was kind of hard to write, since Gaara is the one telling a story this time, and his speech is supposed to be awkward, slow, and kind of surprising and confusing... Plus, it was difficult to have Gaara make that last point of his without him falling out of character… so he kind of did. /: Anyway, I hope you still liked this chapter, regardless of its flaws! ^^'**

**As always, thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting, everybody! Love you all. :3**


	20. Brand New Day

**20. Brand New Day**

Sakura's eyelids fluttered in the bright sunlight coming in through the creak in her curtains. Slowly, her eyes opened, only to shut close at the meeting with the blinding sunlight.

_Ugh… _She moaned tiredly. _What time is it? _She reached for the clock on her bedside table, and held it up in front of her face. She peeked at it out of her one eye, moaning once more when she deciphered the position of the merciless pointers on the clock.

_It's late. _Sighing, Sakura sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She should've known that it would be, considering all the time she had spent in Gaara's room last night, listening to his story, comforting him… simply staying with him…

Sakura felt her heart flutter in her chest, her cheeks color, and her lips curl into a small smile, thinking of Gaara. She curled up into a little ball on her mattress, hugging her knees, holding her toes. She finally felt like she understood… She understood why she had been paired up with Gaara… And she understood why Gaara had been so interested in her, after she had told him her story… But most importantly, she finally understood Gaara himself. She knew why he was the way he was. More than that, she knew that he couldn't be, wouldn't be, and that she wouldn't want him to be any other way.

Still smiling, Sakura hopped out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and went to the bathroom. Her smile never left her face, as she quickly washed up, combed her hair, and put on her clothes. She brushed her teeth hurriedly, her reflection one big, smiling, foamy mess.

"Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully, walking into the kitchen. Her mother, standing by the sink, cleaning the dishes, looked at her in surprise and slight confusion.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said, gesturing towards her watch. "I was wondering if I had to go wake you up. You slept in pretty late…" She frowned. "You'll have to hurry up, if you want to make it to school in time."

Sakura nodded, putting cereal and milk into a bowl, and pouring tea in a cup. Gaara was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping tea, and looking at her with an extremely interested expression.

"Good morning, Gaara," Sakura told him with a smile, sitting down across from him. She picked up her spoon, and started pouring down her breakfast.

"… Good morning… Sakura," Gaara repeated, a small smile forming on his lips as well. Sakura beamed between mouthfuls. Her mother looked from one happy face to the other, confusion coloring her expression.

"Did you have a pleasant night?" Sakura went on, still smiling, and eating her breakfast as fast as possible.

"… Yes," Gaara told her, the small smile on his lips becoming a little wider. "… I had… the best night."

Sakura looked into his eyes, her own wetting a little. "I'm so glad."

Her mother simply gaped at the two of them, her mouth falling open in total shock and confusion. Sakura could barely hold back a snort of laughter. Even though, her mother had told her to be nicer towards their guest, she had probably never imagined things to turn out _this_ well!

* * *

Sakura and Gaara finished their breakfast in a rush, and hurriedly left the house in order to arrive at school in time.

Sakura sighed in content, as they walked down the street. She looked up at the blue sky, squinting at the bright sun. A pleasant breeze wove through the air.

_It looks like it will be beautiful day…_

Sakura turned to the redhead walking next to her. "Gaara?"

Gaara looked at her, his eyes lighting up. "… Yes?"

"Listen…" Sakura began. "There is something that I wanted to say…" Gaara nodded, slightly frowning at her words. "I know that we… sort of started out on the wrong foot… And I know that it's mainly my fault…" Sakura continued. She looked at Gaara. "And… I would like to say sorry. I'm sorry for being so unreasonable; picking fights, placing blame, refusing to forgive…" She managed a smile. "I have most certainly forgiven you by now."

Gaara's frown fell, and he nodded, looking relived. "… Thank you… Sakura… That is…"

Sakura held up a hand, stopping him. "Yes, I have forgiven you." She sent him a pleading look. "The more pressing concern is…" She smiled feebly. "… if you can forgive me?"

Gaara nodded enthusiastically. "… Yes… Yes. Absolutely," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"… Absolutely," Gaara repeated. "… I was… never angry with you," he explained. "… So… there is nothing… to forgive." Sakura's weak smile brightened at these words. Gaara continued. "… You had a right… to be angry… but I'm happy that you have forgiven me… because…" He looked into her eyes. "… You are… a very good person," he said. "… You have been… the first one to… understand me. You know… how it feels to be left… by the people, you… care about… And you know… the pain… it causes when the people, you care about… leave." Sakura couldn't help tearing up a little, but she kept smiling, her heart warming. "… You have been… the first one to treat me… like everyone else," Gaara went on. "You haven't… treated me… like I was sick… or different… or a… monster." His stare intensified. "You have… You have treated me like a normal person… like a friend."

Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she reached up to rub them from her eyes. "Yes," she said, sending him a smile through the tears. "You're right. When we first met…" she told him. "I thought that we were very different. But now I know that we're in fact very similar." Her smile widened. "I do understand you. And I certainly don't think that you're either an abomination or a monster. In fact…" Impulsively, she reached out, and grabbed his hand. "I like you very much," she told him with a big, bright smile. "And I'm very happy to be your friend."

Gaara looked down at their intertwined hands in puzzlement, but when Sakura squeezed his hand and looked at him with the happy smile plastered on to her face, he seemed to relax. "… You…" he said, a real smile lighting up his face. "… You are… the best… friend… I have ever had."

* * *

**Aww… :3**

**The twentieth chapter is up! I hope you liked it! (:**

**Guys, I'm so sorry for long wait! I'm back in school now, which means that I'm practically drowning in schoolwork… /: So it will probably take a while for me to get the last chapters out. I'll try to update as fast as I can, but sadly, ****that isn't going to be very fast… /: Sorry. But if you want me to update faster, I'll be taking bribes in the form of an essay on childhood psychology, as that is what is currently standing between me and my fanfiction…**

**ANYWAY… Thanks for reviewing, following and favoriting this story! You're all awesome! (:**


	21. Different Names for the Same Thing

**21. Different Names for the Same Thing**

Sakura and Gaara arrived at school with only minutes to spare. The grounds outside the school were almost completely empty, with one or two late students scurrying over the grass.

"Come on!" Sakura told Gaara. Still holding his hand, she pulled him towards the school building. "Hurry up! We're late." Gaara sighed, but held onto her hand, and let her drag him into the building.

Sakura and Gaara had barely made it into the building, before the bell rung. Taking off in a clumsy run, restrained by their intertwined hands, they made it to the classroom at the exact same time as Iruka.

"Ah… Sakura. Gaara." Iruka looked at them in confusion and amusement, as they skidded to a stop in front of him, panting heavily, and sweating slightly in their thick coats. "You're just in time."

Iruka gestured with his hands for the two of them to enter the classroom. Sakura nodded and walked in, pulling Gaara behind her by the hand. Temari and Kankarou, who were sitting next to Shikamaru in the middle of the class, looked at their intertwined hands with wide eyes. Sakura blushed, and hurriedly went to sit down, releasing Gaara's hand as she did so.

Temari flashed a knowing smile over her shoulder.

* * *

The school day went by in a daze.

Sakura kept spacing out, her mind clouded with confusing, but pleasant thoughts concerning her redheaded table mate. She couldn't stop thinking about the heart to heart they'd had the night before, the talk they'd had this morning, the hug they had exchanged, the way they had held hands while walking to school… Sakura looked over at the boy in question, blushing furiously when she realized that he was looking at her as well.

She had never felt like this before. She had never been so distracted by something or someone to the point where she couldn't concentrate, couldn't think, couldn't even focus on something for a few minutes. Sakura had been spacing out in class so much lately that she wasn't even sure which topic they were on in the respective classes anymore. Her thoughts had been so filled with Gaara for a long time, and they continued to be filled up with even more of Gaara as time went on.

_Stop yourself, Sakura, _she thought with a sigh, as the bell rung at the end of the day. Gaara calmly rose from his seat, slipped his textbook into his backpack, and carefully zipped the bag, causing Sakura to stare at him, before she managed to shake it off. She stood up, packed her bag, and cleaned up the table, all the while shaking her head at her own weird behavior.

Sakura and Gaara finished up in the classroom, put on their coats, and began their walk home; however, they had barely made it out of the building, before they were halted to a stop by a loud, shrill voice.

"Hey! Gaara! Sakura!" Temari, dragging a reluctant Shikamaru behind her, was running towards them with a big smile on her face. "Wait up!"

Sakura turned around in surprise. "Hi, Temari," she greeted. "What's up?"

Temari's smile only widened. "Oh, nothing," she said dismissively. "I was wondering if you wanted to walk home together today?"

"Oh." Sakura blinked in surprise. "OK." She frowned, looking between Temari's wide smile, Shikamaru's annoyed expression, and Gaara's bored face. "I suppose we could…"

But before she could even finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a cranky voice. "Why would we want to walk home with them?" Shikamaru asked Temari, his expression tired and sour. "Sakura's house isn't even remotely close to mine!"

Temari sent him an irritated look. Sakura looked between the two of them in confusion, before shrugging it off. "You do have a point," she offered, earning a sarcastic grimace in return. "After all, we can't really walk home together, since we're pretty much splitting up at the first street outside the school…" She sent Temari a smile. "But if you want, you can come boxing with me tomorrow?"

Temari sighed. "Alright… I suppose that's the only option," she said, eyeing Shikamaru scornfully. "Let's go boxing tomorrow. Should we meet up at the gym?" Sakura nodded, and Temari flashed a smile. "OK, then. See you tomorrow!" She waved friendlily at Sakura and Gaara, before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. Shikamaru followed suit, grumbling crankily under his breath.

Sakura sighed, and turned to Gaara. "Let's go home."

She couldn't have been surprised, when Gaara slowly stepped forward, and hesitantly reached for her hand. "…. Yes," he said, carefully curling his fingers around hers. Sakura lifted her head to meet his eyes and immediately felt her heart starting to race and her cheeks starting to burn. _Oh, God… _Sakura tried to look away, but his intense, turquoise eyes were hypnotizing. _What is happening? _she thought, staring hypnotically into his eyes, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, sending her blood out to every nerve in her body, leaving a warm, buzzing sensation behind. _What is wrong with me?_

To Sakura, it seemed like they stood there, holding hands, and staring into each other's eyes for an eternity. When she finally managed to tear her eyes off of him, she felt like she was having a heart attack, with her hammering heart, red cheeks, and suddenly dry throat. _I must be having a seizure._ "Y-Yes," she managed to croak out, willing her wobbly legs to move, and pulling the redhead along behind her. _Either that, or I'm going insane._ "C-Come on. Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: The twenty-first chapter is up!**

**I'm seriously sorry that it took so long to get it up… But I've been so swamped with school and work and other annoying things, so I simply didn't have the time. Luckily, I've just started my semester break, so I should be able to wrap this story up by the end of next week; however, I promise nothing…**

**Thank you so much for all your alerts, favorites and reviews! You're so wonderful to keep replying to this story, even though I'm not updating very often. Your support is very much appreciated! :3**

**ANSWERING REVIEWS: BladeDancer123: Thanks for reviewing! At this point, the Suna students have been in Konoha for eight-nine weeks, so the exchange student program will be over in a little over three weeks. (:**

**Please review!**

**Love to you all!**


	22. Something Real

**22. Something Real**

Sakura zipped her sports bag closed, before clasping on the shoulder strap and slinging the bag over her shoulder.

"OK," she said, turning around to look at the redheaded boy, who was currently sitting at the dining room table with a book and a stack of papers. "I'm heading to the gym. Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

Gaara nodded. "… Yes," he told her. "I … I want to come with you…" He gestured towards the papers on the table. "… But… I have to write an essay about my stay here… for my English class… back in Suna." He sighed. "… And… Your mother also asked me, if I could… walk the dog… this afternoon."

Sakura couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face. "OK, then," she told him as nonchalantly as possible. "Good luck with that. I'll see you later."

Gaara nodded once more. "… Thank you…" He hesitated, before adding. "I… I'll see you soon." Sakura blushed, and her heart started to race in her chest, seeing how his lights lit up at the thought. She offered him a nod, before letting herself out through the front door.

* * *

Sakura took her time cycling to the gym. She hadn't rode her bicycle for while, and the calm pedaling motion combined with the cool, crisp autumn air set her whole system in a relaxed mode. _God knows I could use some peace and tranquility… _She was still unsure of what had happened the previous day, and what had happened again only a few moments before. All she was sure of was that something had happened when she had told Gaara her story a while ago, and that something similar, yet completely different, had happened again when Gaara had told her his secrets. _But whether it is a heart dysfunction or a lapse into insanity is still to be discovered, _she mused.

As Sakura drove up to the gym, she found that Temari had already arrived. Sakura parked her bike in the lot, and walked over the tall blonde with a smile on her lips. "Hi, Temari."

"Hey, Sakura." Temari returned the smile. "Are you ready to do some serious training?"

"Sure." Sakura said, letting both of them into the building. "Let me just go inform someone that we're here…" Temari nodded, and stopped to wait by the door, while Sakura went to sign in by the counter and get the key to one of the small training rooms.

"So, Temari…" Sakura said, while she hung up the boxing ball. "I'm surprised that you had time to come training with me this weekend…" She adjusted the height of the ball. "Gaara said that he didn't have time, because he had to write an essay on his experiences here for your English class back home…"

Temari made a face. "Yes. Our English teacher sent us an e-mail earlier this week telling us to write an essay called "My Life in Konoha. But we won't be leaving for another three weeks, so there's no rush…"

Sakura felt a sudden pang across her stomach at the mentioning of the Suna students' upcoming departure. "Right," she said, clearing her throat a little. She positioned the boxing ball, and tied the strings. "Three weeks…"

Temari nodded. "Yes, three weeks…" She suddenly smiled. "It's hard to believe that we've been here for over two months, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Sakura couldn't help smiling as well. "It feels like it was yesterday I received Gaara's letter… Or picked him up at the airport… Or…" She paused and bit her lip before continuing. "Or had him tell everyone that I had a crush on Sasuke…"

Temari was silent for a moment, putting on her boxing gloves and tightening them around her wrists. "So… Do you still like him? Sasuke?" she then asked.

Sakura looked at the blonde in surprise. "I…" She frowned. "I… I don't know. I haven't really thought about him for a while," she admitted.

"No? I see…" Temari finished tightening her boxing gloves. "Are you ready?"

Sakura blinked, being interrupted in her train of thought. "What? Oh, right… One second." She went to put on her own gloves, quickly and effectively tightening them around her wrists and adjusting their grip in her hands. "OK… I'm ready."

"So…" Temari said, while they warmed up with a set of light punches and easy kicks to the ball. "What is the reason that you haven't thought about him as much, do you reckon?"

Sakura frowned. "I don't know," she said. "I suppose I've been preoccupied with all the other stuff that has been going on…"

"All the other stuff that has been going on…" Temari mused, sending a light kick to the ball. "Like Gaara?"

"Huh?" Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, only to be hit by the bouncing ball in front of her. "_Ow!_" She irritated pushed it out of her way. "What do mean?"

Temari shook her head disapprovingly. "Sakura…" she said. "You seem to forget that I've been here to see the transformation up close. When we first got here, you barely even spoke to my brother. Now, you are practically his best friend." She gestured with her gloved hand. "What happened?"

Sakura diverted her eyes and fiddled with her gloves. "Well, we…" She cleared her throat. "We had a pretty good talk the other night." She didn't want to betray Gaara's trust by telling Temari that he had told her what had happened in his childhood, so she simply stated: "And… We understand each other a lot better now."

Temari shot her a doubtful look. "Are you sure that is the whole story?" she asked. When Sakura simply looked at her in confusion, Temari sighed, and pointed at her with her with her gloved fist. "I saw you yesterday," she said, a teasing smile creeping up on her. "You were holding hands, and blushing, and exchanging longing glances all through the day…"

Sakura glared at the blonde in front of her. "We don't exchange _longing glances!"_ she shouted, before continuing in a calmer voice. "Yes, we have grown closer, we have become very good friends, and we understand each other very well, and…" She felt her cheeks turn pink. "A-And that's all there is to it!"

Temari looked at her with a skeptic expression, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, is it really?"

Sakura gritted her teeth, her cheeks still flushing with color. "Just kick the damn ball, already."

Temari smiled wryly, and snickered under her breath, before directing a positively deadly kick to the ball, to which Sakura replied with a violent punch. _Yes, it really is, _she replied crankily to the blonde's question in her mind. _There is nothing going on… Except for the occasional personality disorder and brain hemorrhage… _Her lips curled into a sardonic smile. _No, nothing is going on at all… Excluding those inexplicable little incidents… _Still, she found that she couldn't just brush Temari's words off as exaggeration. Her forehead slowly creased into a frown, as the smile slid off her face, and she bit her lip. _No. Right. There is nothing going on between us. Nothing. At all… Is there?_

* * *

**And the twenty-second chapter is up! I hope you all liked it! (:**

**Thank you for reviewing, following, and favoriting! You're all so wonderful! Ilu gaiz. :3**


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